Numbers 22:21-35

Evangelical Heritage Version

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.

Balaam’s Donkey

²² But God’s anger burned because Balaam was going with them. So the Angel^[a] of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand. So the donkey turned off the road and went into the field. Balaam struck the donkey to make it turn back to the road. ²⁴ Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards with walls on both sides. ²⁵ The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and pressed against the wall and squeezed Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam struck the donkey again. ²⁶ Then the Angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or to the left. ²⁷ The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and lay down under Balaam. Balaam’s anger burned, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

²⁸ The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, which said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”

²⁹ Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me! If only there was a sword in my hand, I would kill you now!”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, the one you have always ridden to this day? Is this what I usually do to you?”

He said, “No.”

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt and bowed with his face to the ground. ³² The Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I myself have come out to oppose you, because your way is reckless^[b] before me. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would have surely killed you by now and let the donkey live.”

³⁴ Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I didn’t know that you stood in the road to confront me. Now if this is displeasing to you, I will go back.”

³⁵ The Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you will speak only the words that I speak to you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.